Mission Impossible?

Okay, I might as well admit it. I am a MINI addict who dreams of owning one of those cute little things on wheels some day. I have a chance next week as MINI launches a mobile virtual game of car hunting in the inner city of Stockholm. All I need to do is catch the virtual MINI Countryman and keep at least 50 meters away from all other hunters downtown for a week. What if I just hide in a cellar? What if I set my phone off for a week? What if I just keep on running? What if I could fly? Seriously, gaming is becoming a mighty tool in marketing.

According to the latest study by the Internet World about media habits in Sweden, girls and the 45+ are taking over the mobile accessibility, increasingly spending time blogging and connecting in social networks. Also, the amount of ‘Svenssons’ watching TV and videos via their laptops and mobile phones has increased from 7 to 32 percent during the past year. What comes into gaming, according to Jane McGonigal on TED, we invest 3 billion hours weekly playing online games worldwide. In Sweden, a recent survey by Reflect quizzed 900 respondents between the ages of 15-60 years old. 81 percent of those questioned, said they played video games. According to The Swedish Games Industry, with recent developments, gaming as a cultural form is almost as big as books and films from the consumer perspective. Women prefer puzzles and social games while men are into action, racing and sports. Martin Lindell, an analyst at the Swedish Games Industry also points out, that Sweden is almost level of United States where gaming has always been a popular pastime. MINI Getaway Stockholm starts at 3pm on Sunday 31st October at Medborgarplatsen. At the same time in UK, Nike will turn the city of London into a game board for two weeks to get people running by augmenting the running experience. But for now — follow that car!

In 2012, Blue Monday (the most depressing day of the year) occurred on the 23rd January. To lift the city’s spirits, artist collaborative Greyworld (commissioned by Tropicana) created a special sun that spread its dawn light over Trafalgar Square for one day only. Weighing 2.5 tons, and using 210,000 watts of power, it’s a great sight to behold on…

During the Beijing Design Week 2013, Amsterdam-based agency Lava turned a scooter into a mobile design agency in order to provide small shops in the Chinese capital’s Dashilan district with fresh tailor-made logos, free of charge.

To promote its upcoming Fortwo electric drive, car brand Smart travels Europe with the Smart Urban Stage. The Smart Urban Stage is an international platform offering an exciting view on the future of the city. What will the future be like in urban areas and how will we move around? At the Smart Urban Stage…

Google Street View makes it possible to walk on streets in cities you’ve never been to. Look around, watch locals and interesting architecture, feel the vibe. Internet artist Jon Rafman got inspired by the lots of interesting images that were taken by the three laser range scanners of the Street View car and decided to…